Workplace Discussion List Members,
I am away from my desk this week, and I don't have my list of all the resources that have been featured as Thursday Resources in the past. All this to say that there may be some resources below that have been featured in the past. Hopefully, some of the resources, new or re-presented, will be of use to you.
Donna

"NALD at Work" (Can)
In order to participate fully in the workforce and in a democratic society, individuals must have a firm foundation of literacy and essential skills. To help make that happen, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has expanded its focus to encompass the world of work. NALD at Work is an online repository containing program models, teaching and learning materials, assessment tools, research documents and much more.
http://www.naldatwork.ca/ <http://www.naldatwork.ca/>

"The who is learning what study: Measuring participant gains in contextualised & academic education rograms" - 2007 (Can)
This report (54 pages) from the Preparatory Training Programs of Toronto looks at how much literacy knowledge is transferable from academic learning environments to workplace reading, writing and numeracy tasks and how much is transferable from workforce-focused programmes to academic tasks.
http://ptp.ca/main/pdf/wily2005.pdf <http://ptp.ca/main/pdf/wily2005.pdf>

NDRC Reflect Magazine
The latest version of the Reflect online magazine is now available. There are a number of articles on workplace literacy including a special report on why workplace learning needs to be specially tailored; how poor literacy and numeracy affect adults' lives; interview with David Hunter, Chief Executive of Lifelong Learning UK; how to encourage learners' persistence.

This is one of five titles in the Effective teaching and learning: Development project reports series. This report looks at how the imaginative use of calculators can enhance teaching and learning in adult numeracy classes. It suggests a range of activities to develop estimation and problem-solving skills, providing learners with opportunities for self-directed and self-paced learning.

"Thinking beyond numbers: Learning numeracy for the future workplace"
Data from Australia and the United States indicate that adults with low numeracy skills are not only economically disadvantaged but also receive fewer opportunities for training and development. However, when such people participate in training, they achieve significant personal and economic benefits. What is not sufficiently well understood is how numeracy skills are best learned in workplaces. This study sought to address this gap in the research.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nl05202/nl05202e.pdf <http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nl05202/nl05202e.pdf> "

"Responding to health skills shortages: Innovative directions from vocational education and training"
This research examines innovative solutions developed by the vocational education and training (VET) sector in response to skill shortages in the health sector. The study focuses on VET-trained workers in the health industry, and includes enrolled nurses, nursing assistants, personal care assistants, allied health assistants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. The research, which also examines innovative overseas approaches to skill shortages in this industry, found that a partnership approach was one answer to dealing with skills shortages in this sector.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1833.html <http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1833.html>

"Workplace Numeracy"
There is little research into workplace literacy which makes this report particularly valuable. Beth Marr has been one of the leaders of adult numeracy internationally and Jan Hagston is a highly regarded Australian literacy expert. The report highlights the criticality of numeracy in the workplace and that many workers use tacit maths skills in their job roles even though they lack confidence in their "school" maths skills.

Assertiveness training is a feature of many learning programmes. Here is a group session plan and resources to help embed the UK core literacy curriculum into assertiveness training. This exemplar session plan and materials offer some ideas on how such training can be a vehicle for literacy skills development.

Disclaimer: This website was developed by Quotient Inc. with funding from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), under Contract No.ED-VAE-14-O-5018. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred.